While Stokies everywhere are breathing a huge sigh of relief after that first win, the superstitous amongst us aren’t quite to ecstatic.

You see, unbeknown to most, history was on Stoke’s side if they had only gone another couple of games without winning.

For back at the start of the 1962/63 season, Stoke lost their opening game at Leeds, just like this year, and didn’t win until their seventh game of the season... before going on to win the Second Division title eight months later.

So bang goes our last hope of winning the Championship title next May, now we’ll just have to settle for second at best!

We’d be fooling ourselves if we thought a home win over Hull - a dreadfully anaemic side reduced to 10 men on the hour - was any kind of genuine Eureka moment for a club still wearing a black arm band after last May.

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But wins, however they come, is where we are at and, for the first time this season, you’d be hard pressed to say any Stoke player’s reputation suffered over the 90 minutes.

Some, not least Peter Etebo, is entitled to feel theirs was actually enhanced and how often have we said that about any player in 2018?

He may still have to prove he can do it on a wet Wednesday in Stoke, just like the wet Wednesday we endured a few days ago, but he’s showing signs of doing it on a sunny Saturday in Stoke and a much-maligned recruitment team will be relieved to see that.

The young Nigerian’s energy off the ball and his awareness on it, not to mention some well-executed movement of possession, was a key feature even if we always have to qualify any compliments by referring back to Hull’s contribution to Stoke’s cause.

The jury will remain out on Saido Berahino for a while yet, but is he slowly re-inventing himself as a player who might contribute far more than even he might have imagined to any future promotion push?

The cynics will say the further he is ushered away from the opposition goal the better after two-and-a-half years without one, but his ability to use his strength in possession and pick a pass for those in more advanced areas is threatening to become a future option.

And the fact he is out there playing at all, with the hint of a smile too, is either a triumph for Gary Rowett’s man-management skills or he carries some kind of pendulum in his managerial kit bag.

It’s impossible to over-egg Stoke’s plight before Saturday’s kick-off, nor the black humour needed to handle it, so when the first batch of team sheets issued in the press room on Saturday contained a mis-print and had to be recalled, the press steward announced “Give them back, they’re no good,” to which one wag replied “That’s no way to talk about the Stoke team.”

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Mercifully, there were few signs of a repeat of last Wednesday’s 3-0 drubbing by Wigan which, fingers crossed, will henceforth be known as the day Stoke City truly hit rock bottom.

Rowett made five changes - half his outfield 10 if you like - in a severe gamble justified by events three days earlier.

Cuco Martina did enough on debut to consider himself first-choice right back for at least one more league game after gallantly joining Stoke’s attacking play, while standing firm enough defensively against what little Hull could muster.

The same, in defensive terms, could be said of Bruno Martins Indi and he will consider himsef desperately unlucky if Ashley Williams steps straight back in after serving his one-match ban.

Fellow newcomers Mame Diouf and Peter Crouch endured contrasting fortunes in front of goal and Diouf’s presence on the right flank looks likely to continue for at least one more league game in Tom Ince’s absence.

Sealed with a kiss... James McClean celebrates his first goal for Stoke City. (Image: Steve Bould)

Though Moritz Bauer’s re-appearance on the bench, together with his natural tendency to attack, may mark him out as more of a right midfielder than a right back if he has any meaningful future under his new manager.

One player needing something special to engage with a disgruntled home support was James McClean, meanwhile, and a first goal for the club does his chances no harm.

Joe Allen’s left-wing corner was flapped at by goalkeeper David Marshall and McClean, with the help of a deflection, bisected a crowd of players to find the back of the net with a low shot in only the ninth minute.

We weren’t to know it, but that was game, set and match against opposition with so little bite and even less determination to show it.

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We weren’t to know it because an equaliser, however fanciful a prospect as it turned out, could have sent Stoke and their supporters weak at the knees once again.

So a healthy start to the second half was essential and events in and around the hour mark truly put this one to bed.

Diouf saw a header saved by Marshall’s feet and then headed off target when a miffed Crouch was better placed, but it was third time lucky for Diouf when Allen’s through ball released him for a shot - or was it a cross? - that deflected markedly past Marshall.

There really should have been more goals as Martina crossed for Etebo’s shot to be saved low down and then centred for Crouch to miss a side-foot tap in.

Bojan, who can still do no wrong in the eyes of fans, threaded one through for fellow sub Benik Afobe to dink and be denied by Marshall’s outstretched hand, while Etebo ran across the face of goal in the 90th minute before McClean skewed wide.

A long, long way to go still, but we live in hope that the journey has now begun.